Psa AK101 ?

[The Gunner]

I have been thinking about getting into a 556 ak because of the situation with the Russia ban stuff starting to dry up soon and I was wondering if anyone had one in here or if they had any issues with them . I have a akv and gf3 by them and they have been solid so far .

 

[IUHoosier429]

A few things...

1) Don't worry about the Russian ammo ban. There are billions upon billions of rounds of Russian ammo in the states, and lots of countries produce 7.62x39 ammo. Chinese ammo has been banned outright for 30 years and there's probably still some for sale in the classifieds right now.

2) Like every PSA thread you're going to get lovers and haters, whether they own what you're asking about or not. I always recommend war factory import AKs over domestics. That said, I have an AK-V and an early PSAK-74 and both have been great.

3) Regardless of opinions, PSA has had a TON of issues in its AK family development, the 101 included. That's a fact. They tend to get things right after a few generations of a gun, but I really despise their habit of testing unproven wares on their customers. There are some ongoing first-hand reviews from owners on the AK Files, and as expected, results are mixed. For light duty, casual plinking, you'll probably be fine. Just don't lose your lifetime warranty card.

 

[The Gunner]

Yeah I was looking into the zastava but don’t care for the fake folding stock wish it looked like the m70s with solid wood stock furniture and the wbp Jack too but it’s $550+ more than the psa . And don’t want to get into saiga or Arsenal pricing .

 

[Exspiravit]

If I were going to get a 5.56 AK and if I wanted a good one I knew would not self destruct or give me trouble, one that would hold it's value and be fun to shoot, I'd shell out for a Polish Beryl.

These are rifles made by a reputable manufacturer and have seen combat use in the middle east with Polish troops. They are solid built, look cool, and have historical significance. The chrome lined 1/8 18 inch barrel is also probably better than a lot of other offerings you'll find.

Unfortunately they are also very expensive and the "clone correct" parts are expensive and hard to find.

Ultimately, you will get what you pay for. If you want something that sits in your safe and gets taken out once a year, get the PSA. If you want something reliable you are going to shoot a lot, the answer is Beryl.

 

[IUHoosier429]

Yeah I was looking into the zastava but don’t care for the fake folding stock wish it looked like the m70s with solid wood stock furniture and the wbp Jack too but it’s $550+ more than the psa . And don’t want to get into saiga or Arsenal pricing .

I haven't looked at retailer supplies since the latest Serbian export scare, but you can definitely run Yugo/Serbian-spec wood furniture on the M90. I've seen them offered with wood stocks instead of metal or Magpul Zhukov folders.

 

[CITYPUNS]

I have been thinking about getting into a 556 ak because of the situation with the Russia ban stuff starting to dry up soon and I was wondering if anyone had one in here or if they had any issues with them . I have a akv and gf3 by them and they have been solid so far .

You will either get a psa rifle that works perfectly fine or a piece of garbage the nice thing about psa is if you do get a piece of garbage you can always send it back and get a new one - the sample size of 2 that I’ve seen didn’t work at all but if you roll the dice with 50/50 odds and you’re very likely to see lemons so as another member mentioned you get what you pay for

 

[The Gunner]

Yeah it won’t be my battle rifle just a rifle that will scratch a itch for ak platform at my range close to home that won’t allow steel case or rifle rounds above 556

 

[The Gunner]

I got a membership at a new outdoor range but its almost a hour away one way or I wouldn’t visit the local one

 

[IUHoosier429]

won’t allow steel case or rifle rounds above 556

Their ranges, their rules, but friggin' hell do I hate total BS fudd restrictions like that. Many an argument with some dusty old Larry in white New Balances and a belt clip for his phone, spouting "steel case = steel core."

Don't mean to derail, but God dang. Also, I've read the PSA 101 cycles steel case just fine.

 

[The Gunner]

Yeah it irritates me too they claim their armor can’t handle any bigger also no aluminum case is allowed either . And that’s good to know I got a ton of steel 223 coming to test it out

 

[Ridgedaddy]

Necro posting here,

I bought a Father’s Day special 101 fixed stock for $799 with 10 mags.

Fit and finish is great, rifle is very accurate. Everything appears to be put together well. Rivets all look good and rifle is headspaced well. It’s been fed m855 for its entire life I’ve had it. Gun works fine.

~ The Bad ~
It is a literal dice roll on if you will receive a good rifle or not. This is my 3rd PSA AK. As it sits I have a 103 premium, a very early PSA74 and now the 101.

The 74 is a steaming pile of garbage. The barrel is not set properly, rifle fell out of headspace after a few mags. Trunnion and bolt are not up to snuff on the early 74. The first 101s suffered from these same issues.

At this current point in time I think you’ll be alright buying a new 101. I’d wait for a big sale though, $1,000 seems a little out there for what it is. I shoot mine fairly regularly and take it on all my overnight hikes. I’ll keep updates in this thread about the rifles wear progression.

 

[Stogies]

For what it's worth I sent a PSA AR back with a casing stuck in the chamber and they fixed it...

 

[BrettB]

I have zero experience with any 5.56 AKs foreign or domestic. 2 of my shooting buddies picked up early 101s and one had an issue that PSA resolved. With regards to PSA in general of folks will have both good and bad things to say, however most people don’t say anything at all - they sell a ton of rifles. Most folks don’t want to comment on public forums about what they have. I believe a small group of people have quality issues and those stories spread like wildfire across forums. People shout from the mountain tops - don’t buy American made AKs. imports are the only way. They want to justify the high price they paid for the “perfect” import AK. My opinion is that most people are repeating things they have heard or read without a single shred of personal experience. Fact is most people simply don’t burn through thousands of rounds a year at training events or matches.
I have a several PSA products and all have been very good. I did have to send a PCC back for a trip through customer warranty support. I have no complaints on how that was handled. All companies Sig , Ruger , …have an issue from time to time -having a US based customer support system shouldn’t be overlooked. Where do you send the import ? I am lucky enough to have some sought after imports, but that PSA AKP has become one of my all time favorites, my daughter has claimed it and we shoot a lot of matches with it. I’m not saying American made AKs are better than imported rifles. I am saying US AKs are an option that shouldn’t be dismissed.
I really like AKs in general and years ago I pledged to support American made AKs. I bought my first one PSA simply because everyone was saying how bad they are. I picked up a KP9 from KUSA. I also recently acquired a Century BFT47. I shoot them all at matches, and if there is any doubt how much they get shot - my PracticeScore account is public.